“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
John 14:15-21
John’s Gospel places Jesus in the upper room with His disciples. By the 14th chapter, Judas has departed to inform on Jesus to His opponents so He may be captured without the threat of an uprising by the people. Chapters 14 through 17 are concerned with His will and testimony to the remaining 11 who have followed Him for 3 years. This is an emotion filled revelation by Jesus to those who are called upon to finish the work of bringing salvation to the world. Much depends upon their faithfulness and willingness to serve as witnesses to the cause of Christ. With their performance up until this time, Jesus would certainly be justified in harboring anxiety about how well they would do. His general tone is not one of anxiety but is more clearly one of assurance for when He departs He will send the Spirit of truth to bolster, teach and lead them in their efforts to free the world from sin. This is a fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31-34:
“The time is coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to] them, ”
declares the LORD.“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
This is the basis of the New Covenant that will come to bear on a believing man’s soul which is enacted by the very Spirit of God. It is not that God’s Spirit will rest upon an individual as was the case up until this time but that God the Spirit would reside within His very soul. The purpose was to rule upon the throne of the believer’s heart to direct life in a particular way. The goal of this arrangement was to create a new humanity that looked like Adam but thought and behaved as did Jesus the Christ.
Jesus concludes His prayerfulness with an appeal directed to all who follow Him as Savior and God. John 17:24-26
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
He makes both of these appeals directly to God the Father. His desire is that we will know God as Father as Jesus has known Him and that we will make this salvation known to the world. The power that propels this is the indwelling Holy Spirit as well as the love of God that serves as the catalyst for making this news known.
Today is Father’s Day and just as was Mother’s Day, we make no special provision in the church calendar for the recognition of either day. I see this as a mistake for both roles of motherhood and fatherhood seem lessened in the eyes of society and perhaps the plight of modern day society seems to reflect the neglect of the importance of both. No one can deny that public and private morals, speech and purposes seem to have begun the descent on the slippery slope of humanism rather than the Spirit-led climb that leads to the Throne of God. We live in a time when that which is secular professes a need to be protected from religious thoughts and practices. Could it be that we have become educated beyond our basic intelligence?
No one denies the importance of a good mother and the love that she imparts to her offspring. Such is a taste of Heaven in an earthly setting. Fatherhood has been reduced to biology in many settings. Certain segments of our current society feel that the importance of fatherhood ends with conception. A casual look at society belies such a thought. Children who fail in the scholastic realm generally come from fatherless homes. Our prisons are filled with fatherless inmates. The monetary and social costs are staggering.
So, what constitutes a good father? A father gives a son a role model and a daughter a hero. Little girls are to be given a chance to enjoy a childhood. Little boys were never meant to become little girls. The sexes were God’s idea and are as they are for purpose. Children need and search for discipline. They are always checking boundaries. Their question is “Do you love me enough to guard and look out for me?” Sometimes their behavior is to determine if you care enough to watch out for them.
Just as motherhood is demanding and time consuming, fatherhood is always being observed by the father’s children or grandchildren. If your character is not consistent, children quickly discover it. They analyze your manner, your work ethic and your habits.
Long ago God installed the father of the household as the spiritual leader. Unfortunately, few of us have done as well as we should. If your children sense that God is important to you, they will take a very careful look at the circumstances. If not, they are much less likely to seek Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Fatherhood and motherhood are both difficult. There are no perfect fathers or mothers. However, that understanding does not excuse anyone from pursuing such a standard. It is important to accept the understanding that diligence in effort is no guarantee of a favorable outcome as a result.
What should our focus be fixed upon as we strive to be a good father? Our quest should be that our sons and daughters can sense and see who we desire to be. Our goal should be to resemble Christ. If successful, our rewards are potentially great. We have no greater challenge.